Wearable Wireless Multisensor Health Monitor with Head Photoplethysmograph

Abstract

Ambulatory monitoring of human health is provided by a multi-component multi-sensor wireless wearable biosignal acquisition system comprising a torso device and a peripheral device communicating wirelessly, and a mobile phone for receiving collected data and uploading it over cellular network or WiFi to a remote computer for multivariate analysis. Biosignals include EKG and PPG, from which a determination of pulse transit time can be made.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for monitoring human health comprising:
 a wearable torso device disposed to continuously measure at least an electrocardiographic signal from at least two electrodes;   a head-worn device in wireless connectivity with said torso device, having at least one light source disposed to illuminate the capillary bed below the skin at a location on the head and having a light sensitive element for quantitatively measuring light from said light source that has passed through the capillary bed, thereby providing a photoplethysmographic signal that is communicated to the torso device wirelessly;   said torso device and said head-worn device having a mechanism implemented in software for synchronizing the electrocardiographic signal with the photoplethysmographic signal for an accurate determination of a pulse transit time.   
     
     
         2 . A system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a mobile phone disposed to receive wireless transmissions of data from said torso device inclusive of data from said head-worn device. 
     
     
         3 . A system according to  claim 2 , wherein said mobile phone is disposed to periodically upload data obtained from said torso device to a remote computer for analysis of health. 
     
     
         4 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein the head-worn device is held against the forehead with a headband, and comprises an enclosure that is curved to conform to the curvature of a human forehead. 
     
     
         5 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein said head-worn device is held by adhesive against the skin over the mastoid process behind the ear, and comprises an enclosure with a concave well on the skin-facing side over the mastoid process.